Possibility of taxi strike could mean travel chaos for Ryder Cup
The warning came with three taxi unions - those behind Monday’s work stoppage - to decide within the next 24 hours on their next course of action.
Tommy Gorman of the National Taxi Drivers Union (NTDU) said his organisation would be meeting with the Irish Taxi Drivers’ Federation and SIPTU.
He also said the groups would be acknowledging an invite from Taxi Regulator Ger Deering to meet in the near future and discuss issues of contention that sparked this week’s stoppage.
The action caused disruption and inconvenience for commuters, particularly those heading to and from Dublin airport.
Taxi representatives said that unless there was compromise on certain elements of the proposed changes to the sector, including the restructuring of fares, further protests are likely.
“We are mandated for further stoppages leading right up to September,” said Mr Gorman. He warned that members had mentioned the Ryder Cup as a stoppage possibility.
“The Ryder Cup has been mentioned on a number of occasions. It is extremely prestigious.
However, it’s a long way away and my view is that there will be a resolution by then.”
Naas Gardaí are currently organising the movement of the taxis for the Ryder Cup. The plan is for taxis and limousine services to carry passengers as far as the
Weston Aerodrome, from where a number of specially commissioned buses will bring golf fans the rest of the way to the K Club.
The NTDU estimated that Monday’s stoppage involved around 12,000 taxis and that, in Dublin, just 100 taxis were in operation, although others have queried that figure.
Mr Gorman said the action had been “successful way beyond our expectations” and claimed the next 10 days were “very important” in terms of resolving the row over the proposed changes to the industry.
Unions have criticised plans for a national standardised fare structure and claimed that taxis would lose out financially at a time when oil prices are on the rise. The NTDU has claimed that drivers working out of Cork Airport would lose 22% of their typical annual income under the proposals.
